Nutrition for Good Health

Malnutrition is a word often associated with famine and starvation, especially in developing countries. But another form of malnutrition, or poor nutrition, is prevalent in countries such as the United States and Canada and in areas with a similar diet. This is malnutrition caused by poor selection of foods and excessive food consumption.

To gain a better understanding of the nutritional problems representative of the industrialized nations, Awake! spoke with nutritionist Nilda Tirado, New York City coordinator for the Expanded Food Nutrition Education Program, which is administered by Cornell University, Cooperative Extension. The Cooperative Extension programs throughout the United States provide free information and help to the public in the proper selection and use of foods to maintain good health. The following are Nilda Tirado’s answers to questions of an Awake! representative.

What would you say are the major nutritionally related health problems in industrialized countries?

The most common nutrition-related problem would be dental caries, or tooth decay, affecting every age group. Obesity, or excessive weight, would be next, and iron-deficiency anemia, which is still prevalent in women, adolescents, and infants. However, of great concern are several chronic diseases or conditions, such as high blood pressure, arteriosclerosis, and gastrointestinal problems, which are directly related to overconsumption of high-calorie foods, fat, and salt, as well as insufficient fiber consumption. These conditions are all related to the many changes in our life-style and in our eating and food-preparation patterns.

You’ve mentioned the problem of too much food. Is this really of major concern?

Obesity is a major public-health problem in all age groups in many industrialized countries. Changes in life-style and greater availability of food contribute to this. In school-age children, we see it especially in grades one through three and notably in urban areas where opportunities for exercise are often limited. When a person is carrying more than 20 percent above normal body weight, he is said to be obese. An overfed infant can easily grow into an obese child, and then if steps aren’t taken to correct eating habits, the obese child becomes an obese adult—with risk of high blood pressure, diabetes, heart attack, and stroke.

What problems do you encounter with infant nutrition?

We often find that many mothers wean their infants too early and introduce solid foods too soon. They also tend to give more food than is really needed for the health of the child. Many mothers, pressured by family and friends, often try to wean babies at three months. Since babies’ tongues are conditioned to suck in liquids and not to push solid food back properly for swallowing, the baby will often spit out most of the food. Frustrated by this, mothers concoct a kind of baby-food milk shake by diluting the food in formula. Then they feed this through a baby bottle after enlarging the hole in the nipple. Besides the risk of the baby’s choking, this type of feeding increases the tendency toward an overweight baby and has also been related to a higher incidence of ear infection.

When is a good time to wean a baby?

Most infants do not need solid foods until they are about six months old, and even then they should not be introduced to high-protein food immediately. Their gastrointestinal system often cannot handle the protein, so there may be slight bleeding in the intestines, which the mother will not even notice. This can manifest itself as anemia. There may also be a problem with the development of allergies and skin problems. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that when weaning a baby, something easily digested, such as rice cereal, be given for the first two or three days. And whenever a new cereal is introduced to the infant, it is suggested that only that cereal be given for three days in a row to determine if there are any allergies to it.

Do you recommend breast-feeding?

Most certainly. By all means. Breast milk contains not only needed nutrients in the proper amounts for infants but also antibodies, which prevent many of the infections common in infancy. Breast-fed infants rarely become obese and generally have fewer allergies and gastrointestinal upsets. Unfortunately there is still the misconception among some women that if you can possibly afford it, baby formula is better. Although formula is nutritionally adequate, it doesn’t afford the antibodies and the perfect balance of nutrients that one finds in mother’s milk.

What about older children?

We see a twofold problem with toddlers. First, they are often overfed, and, second, they are not taught to eat a variety of foods.

Infants require numerous feedings throughout the day, and sometimes mothers keep up that routine as the child grows. But toddlers don’t require as much food per pound of body weight as infants do, and they should not be forced to eat all the time.

In addition, toddlers often go through food jags, preferring only one or two foods all the time. This can create problems if not handled properly. Children may have trouble adopting a well-balanced diet later. For example, much of the nutritious food incorporated into school-lunch programs gets thrown away because children have never been exposed to some of these foods prior to starting school. So it is important to encourage children to be open to new foods. Encouraging children to select, prepare, and even grow food are ways of making foods interesting and fun. Parents also need to serve as role models here. Some toddlers are not given the opportunity to feed themselves. In order to shorten their mealtime, or because mothers feel it’s their role, toddlers are often spoon-fed instead of letting them learn to eat by themselves.

Do adults have any particular nutritional problems?

Studies have shown that adults among all income groups consume too much fat and sodium (salt) and not enough fiber. Excess fat intake is often reflected by an overweight condition or by arteriosclerosis in some people. Preference for a high intake of meat, which is also high in fat, and snacking on empty calorie foods contribute to these conditions, as does a lack of adequate exercise. Sodium intake is high due to a heavy reliance on processed foods, which, because of today’s life-style, people find very convenient to use. Consumption of fiber, on the other hand, is lower because people eat less of the foods in which it is present, including legumes (beans, peas, lentils), fruits, vegetables, and whole-grain breads and cereals.

Americans especially eat larger portions of meat than is really needed. To meet the body’s daily requirement for protein, only about two to three ounces (57 to 85 g) of meat is necessary. But it’s common to see people consume six to eight ounces (170 to 230 g) of meat at supper alone. This is in addition to the protein in their breakfast ham, bacon, or sausage, and their hot dog or hamburger for lunch and the protein that is found in all the other foods they may eat. The individual who sits down and consumes half a chicken, for example, is really getting four times the amount of protein required for that day and many more calories than needed. By increasing our protein sources from animal foods, we also increase our intake of fat, since almost all are high in fat and cholesterol. The more animal products consumed, the more calories and fat. Sometimes people who want to lose weight cut out other foods and eat only meat, not realizing that meat has many more calories than does pasta or rice.

Do nutritional needs change with age?

Yes and no. We all need the same nutrients no matter what our age but in different amounts. As we age, we require fewer calories. This is because the energy needed to maintain the body decreases with age, although the activity and health may remain constant. If a person becomes less active, then even fewer calories are required. So the elderly need to eat fewer calories and exercise more or they will become overweight. Sugars, fats, oils, and alcohol should be limited as they are high in calories and lack essential nutrients.

Our nutritional needs also change during growth periods—childhood, adolescence, and pregnancy—and after illness or surgery. At these times, we do have to increase the availability of nutrients to our bodies by eating foods providing more calories and nutrients.

The most common nutritional problem in women still remains that of iron deficiency. The tendency among many women is to cut back on calories, which may be a good thing for their weight, but since iron is difficult to obtain in food, and because it occurs only in certain foods and in limited amounts, the amount of iron available is decreased even more. Iron supplements are often recommended as a safety measure.

Another increasing problem, especially in older women, is osteoporosis, caused by a loss of calcium in the bones. About 40 percent of all women who reach age 80 have this condition. This loss of calcium is actually a normal part of aging, but since women do not usually have a good store of calcium in their bodies—due to a calcium-poor diet and decreased activity throughout life—what would be normal is instead a serious problem. As the calcium comes out of the bones, they become less dense, and many times the person will shrink, appearing much shorter. Curvature of the spine is common along with fractures of the hipbones and spinal column. It is for this reason that calcium-rich foods should be part of the diet throughout life.

What recommendations do you give homemakers for healthier eating?

Besides doing what has already been mentioned, we encourage people to eat a variety of foods to assure that they receive all the nutrients they need. Also, since there seems to be a pattern today of opening packages and cans and eating frozen TV dinners, we urge people to look around and select from the wide variety of fresh foods available in the marketplace and then to learn to prepare these foods so that nutrients, taste, and color are preserved. Stir-frying, steaming, and baking are cooking methods that help to do this and are preferable to boiling and frying. It’s amazing just how many people have not learned to cook well or just don’t feel they have the time to do it.

We try to help people see that they can better control what they eat by doing their own cooking. Instead of falling back on, say frozen prepared chicken that is coated, has additives and extra fat, a homemaker can buy a fresh chicken, or frozen chicken parts, prepare it, add ingredients enjoyed by her family, and serve it attractively for all to enjoy.

We also encourage homemakers to limit the use of commercially prepared mixes, such as powdered soups, meat helpers, and cake mixes. These often contain high quantities of salt and other ingredients that may not be the best for our health. A homemaker can prepare some of these mixes herself and store them for later use. This will save time and money and allows for the creativity of the cook. In this way the homemaker can also control what goes into the food she feeds her family, and she can limit fat and salt if she wants. This is almost impossible to do if you use prepared mixes.

We urge, too, that homemakers become knowledgeable about what nutrients are needed for good health and become informed consumers by looking for ingredients listed on the labels of products before they buy. Since there are new food products and nutrition information in the media every day, homemakers should also get advice from reputable sources of nutrition information. Such reputable sources include health professionals in government agencies, in hospitals, and in local health agencies, and naturally Cooperative Extension, which operates nutrition programs in every state in the United States.

Vipassana Meditation ? Chiselling The Walls Of Illusion

More than 2500 years ago, the Great Enlightened Master – Gautama Buddha gave the world a beautiful meditation technique. That wonderful technique of meditation was to form the foundation of Spiritual Enlightenment of hundreds of thousands of meditators throughout the ages. Till this date, the meditation technique that Buddha gave has enlightened more persons than all the other meditation techniques combined together.

Buddha gave the world the meditation technique called Vipassana. “Vipassana” is a Pali word and it means “Pure Watchfulness”. It implies watching and observing the reality around us as it is, without any bias whatsoever. Vipassana is also called “Anapansati Yoga”. It’s the meditation technique that’s practised by a majority of the Buddhist meditators.

The technique of Vipassana essentially involves watching the breath and the breathing process. Through this watching, the mind calms, the awareness of the meditator improves dramatically over time. He is able to witness the reality and true nature of things as they are, without any mental bias whatsoever. He comes out of all conditionings and this inner cleansing gives rise to immense tranquillity and bliss.

The Vipassana Meditator is a blissful person and has a great sense of humour. His mental sharpness improves and he is not attached by anything. Life becomes a drama and he enjoys every moment of it. The awareness that arises in the time of meditation gradually spreads to all the activities of the day. This mental focus and dexterity also brings great success and accomplishments to the Vipassana meditator in all the spheres of his life as an added bonus. This success comes as he participates in the activities of his day to day life totally and not partially.

The small but powerful ray of awareness that starts initially from being aware of the breath, gradually spreads into the more subtle realms of the mind like the thoughts, feelings, emotions and the subconscious mind. Hence layers after layers of the inner mind are peeled gradually and one gets freed of those conditionings. This releases a lot of trapped energy that was entangled in these negative layers of the subconscious mind.

Thus the Vipassana meditator is always in a great state of relaxation and is like a reservoir of energy. His life force is not wasted and leaked in the continuous thought process that goes on always in the ordinary mind uncontrollably. He becomes a true master of himself and his mind. He is able to use it as an equipment rather than being used by it.

In the beginning stages, the meditator needs greater time and silence to get deeper into the Alertness. Witnessing is an art that needs to be learnt gradually. Slowly the mind calms and is not distracted easily. A 10 day meditation retreat is very helpful as it serves as a foundation for the beginner and he gets easily grounded into the watchfulness and learns the knack of Awareness. Then he can practise the meditation and remain watchful uninterrupted even in the most distracting place.

The benefits of Vipassana meditation are numerous. It improves the patience and frees from all vices like addictions and uneasiness. The gains of Vipassana can be felt right from the very first session, but they require regular and continuous practise for the deeper gains to materialize over time. It requires commitment and perseverance on the part of the meditator.

By and by the meditator is able to chisel his way through the illusions of the world and achieve a total clarity. He becomes aware of his own being and true self. He is a true winner and his triumph is beyond words. Vipassana can be done on a standalone basis or can be done along with other meditation techniques, which can greatly enhance the overall results of meditation.

Healthy Weight Loss

No matter how peaceful your nature, when it comes to the battle of the bulge, you have to put up a good fight.
In our eat-and-run, massive-portion-sized world, maintaining a healthy weight can be hard enough, and healthy weight loss can be a real struggle. The abundance of fad diets and “quick-fix” plans that tempt and confuse us and ultimately usually do not work.

Weight management not only makes you look and feel better, it influences your future health. A healthy weight decreases your chances of developing serious health risks such as heart disease or diabetes.

If your last diet attempt wasn’t a success, or life events have caused you to gain weight, don’t be discouraged. The key is to find a plan that works with your body’s individual needs so that you can avoid common diet pitfalls and instead make lasting lifestyle changes that can help you find long-term, healthy weight loss success.

Lifestyle Change – Permanent weight loss is not something that a “quick-fix” diet can achieve. Instead, think about weight loss as a permanent lifestyle change. You are making a commitment to your health for life. Various popular diets can help to jump-start your healthy weight loss, but permanent changes in your lifestyle and food choices are what will work long term.

Find a cheering section – Social support means a lot. Programs like Jenny Craig and Weight Watchers use group support to impact weight loss and lifelong healthy eating. Seek out support, whether in the form of family, friends, or a support group, so that you can get the encouragement you need.

Special Pregnancy Nutrition Needs

It is commonly known that nutrition is a critical part of everyday life. However, during pregnancy nutrition becomes even more critical for the health of you and your baby. Not only is nutrition critical during pregnancy, the nutritional needs of your body are different during this period of your life. Different nutritional needs develop because of changes in your body as well as the needs of a developing fetus. Your body is under a lot of physical stress during pregnancy which increases the need for special nutrition and added vitamins.

As soon as you find out that you are pregnant you need to consult your physician. The two of you should develop a pregnancy nutrition and fitness plan, that should be implemented as soon as possible. The first three months of your pregnancy are the most important because this is when most of your baby’s organs and brain are being developed. Proper nutrition during pregnancy can minimize the risk of birth defects, malformations and miscarriage. The first three months are when most miscarriages occur.

You should immediately begin taking special prenatal vitamins to ensure the health of you and your baby. This will help to ensure that your developing baby receives all the right vitamins that are needed. Folic acid is one of the most needed vitamins during pregnancy and women rarely obtain a sufficient amount through their diet. Prenatal vitamins need to replace the vitamins that you are currently taking. Your regular vitamins although sufficient when you are not pregnant, may be detrimental to your developing baby during pregnancy. A pregnancy specific nutrition and fitness plan will help ensure a happy and healthy baby and will also make you feel better during your nine month journey.

Turn on the Water Works

Although drinking 6-8 glasses of water is highly recommended for everyone, water becomes more important when you are pregnant. In fact, during pregnancy many experts recommend that you drink 10-12 glasses of water daily. Water does not include juice, soda, coffee of other types of beverages, it only includes water. You need to keep in mind that everything that you consume during pregnancy passes through to your unborn baby. Not only is water extremely important for a multitude of reasons, you should probably avoid or severely limit your intake of soda and coffee. These beverages, provide numerous chemicals that may not be healthy for your developing baby.

Drinking a lot of water may be difficult and many women find it easier to keep a water bottle with them at all times so they can continuously sip water throughout the day. If you do not like the taste of plain water, you can always add a small amount of juice or a twist of lemon to add some flavor. Extra water is needed to aide in your baby’s development, to remove waste from your system and to help ensure adequate flow of nutrients to your baby.

Drinking alot of water may also minimize or prevent some of the ailments you commonly experience during pregnancy, such as nausea, constipation, and swelling. Severe constipation is a common symptom during pregnancy because your developing baby depletes the water in your system.

Pregnancy Nutrition – Foods to Avoid

Your body and developing baby are much more vulnerable to bacteria and other contaminants during pregnancy. As a result, there are certain foods that you will be advised to either avoid completely or limit during your pregnancy. Here is a partial list of items that you need to avoid or limit:

1) raw eggs, this may include certain dressings or sauces;
2) unpasteurized milk and cheese, this may include certain soft cheeses;
3) raw or rare fish and meats;
4) fish that tend to have high mercury levels;
5) caffeine and alcohol;
6) unwashed vegetables; etc.

Unwashed vegetables are very bad because of the pesticides and bacteria that they may carry. Caffeine in moderation may be acceptable but make sure you obtain specific details regarding the quantity that is advised. Your doctor and a pregnancy nutritional guide should be consulted to develop a complete list for you to follow.

Summary and Additional Resources

Pregnancy nutrition and fitness are extremely important for the health of you and your developing baby. Your baby has special nutritional requirements that begin at the moment of conception. The first three months of pregnancy are the most important because that is when your baby’s organs and brain are being developed. It is also the time that most miscarriages occur.

Proper specialized nutrition can also make you feel better and provide additional energy during pregnancy which is critical because of the added stress that is being placed on your body. You will need to make sacrifices but it will pay off in the long run for you and your baby. When you see your healthy beautiful baby for the first time, you will know that it was all worth it!

There is a lot of information that you need to know about pregnancy and pregnancy nutrition. Although your doctor and loved ones can help, there is too much to learn for this method to be sufficient. We provide comprehensive pregnancy information and recommended pregnancy guides. We review the most popular guides to find the ones that are best for your needs.

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